There are three things that are staples in the wardrobe right now: Flower Crowns (buy here!), Baseball tees (this one is vintage) and high waisted skirts. I especially LOVE this pinafore dress that I found on Simply Be (I know, not my usual kind of store but it's GREAT for plus size staples and bras and stuff. Yes!) that's actually designed by a youtuber, Sprinkle Of Glitter. Anyway I love it and it's super comfy and goes with everything. It's like my new favourite pair of jeans (I don't really wear jeans anymore, is that terrible?! haha). This outfit is a bit matchy-matchy but you guys know me, I love that! even the little red tabs on my Vans match my flower crown and my top. hehe. I'm such a nerd. My hair is just fading away here, but it's a little bit curly which always makes me feel fancy and good. Up in an Ariana Grande ponytail (which has been perfect for summer, omg this heat!) I kind of feel like a cheerleader. Where are my pompoms? I tell you what, I've been wearing flower crowns nearly everyday, it's such a life saver for me when I feel my hair is super messy and gross, I pop one on and boom, instant pretty hair. Pretty sure I'm wearing no makeup at all in these photos. I'm chill like that. Some days I wear a full face, some days nothing at all. All depends on how I'm feeling. It's been so long since I've done an outfit post, blimey! Feel like I'm still getting used to blogging again, so bare with me while I find my groove again. How have you all been? Are you looking forward to autumn? I can't wait! Kim xop.s. little pin badge from my shop. empty #safetypin to try and discourage xenophobia.

Hi there, Ho there! Just wanted to pop in and let you know that I've updated the shop with flower crowns! We debuted them at SitC 2016 (click here for vlogs of the event!) and they were a hit. I'm so pleased because it's something I'd been dreaming up for a while now and with any new product, you're never quite sure how the launch is going to go. But yay! We've got three different styles of crown, the Large 'Rose' crown (seen above), the medium sized 'Daisy' crown (below) and...Our very popular 'Tiny' crown (at just £5.00 it's super affordable and not too scary to wear if you don't like making too much of a statement.), seen below: We've got it down to a fine art now, and can make you any colour you like. We make the colours up ourselves out of our Art Equals Happy Recycled Yarn. There's a bunch of options on the shop right now that you can order as is, or pop over to Etsy to customise your own. (I wouldn't usually direct you to etsy cause it costs more, but they have really great customisable features!) You can also pop me a message/comment/email to discuss further options.

I've got a fun 'making of' post lined up for you soon so stay tuned for that. In the meantime enjoy these pretty pictures. Kimxo

6 Months of Windows! :: Shop talktag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5538f0657883301bb081a4cb0970d2015-04-10T14:20:15+01:002015-04-10T14:25:45+01:00WHOA GUYS! Time sure flies when you're having fun. Can you believe we've been open at Alterknit Universe for 6 months?! I sure can't. A part of me feels like we just opened yesterday, and another part of me feels...Kim Smith

WHOA GUYS! Time sure flies when you're having fun. Can you believe we've been open at Alterknit Universe for 6 months?! I sure can't. A part of me feels like we just opened yesterday, and another part of me feels like I've been doing this my entire life... but blimey it's amazing.

The support from the local community has been incredible and you guys (my online friends) have been super awesome. I know you all love getting to see what the shop looks like, and Instagram is a great place for that. I have a shop account: @AUshopUK where I post things that are going on every weekend. But, just in case you're not into instagram- here's a look back at our window displays for the last SIX MONTHS. (I still can't believe it!) I got some glass-writer pens around xmas time and have been having waaayyy too much fun drawing on the windows. :] Of course I had to draw a medieval santa riding a reindeer. Haha.

Thanks to Jazz and Amy who've helped out on a couple of these windows. And of course a big Thanks to my Mum and Dad who have been amazing on a daily basis! You've probably spied a few things that haven't made it's way online yet, they are coming!

If you want to come visit the shop in person, we are located in Cleeve right on the main road A370 half way between Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare. There are buses that go right outside the shop from the center and there's plenty of parking too. Can't wait to see ya!Kim xo

Online Shop Update! Pin Badges :: Shop & Pottertag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5538f0657883301b8d0801869970c2014-10-19T11:56:28+01:002014-10-19T12:01:03+01:00YAY! Check out the awesome badges I just added to the online store! There's a bunch, and not ALL Harry Potter related... hehe. :] But for you Potter lovers, I put up a bunch of designs you could only get...Kim Smith

YAY! Check out the awesome badges I just added to the online store! There's a bunch, and not ALL Harry Potter related... hehe. :] But for you Potter lovers, I put up a bunch of designs you could only get as embroidery patterns online before now. Some of you might recognise these from fairs I've done. I've tried to group them into similar themes... i.e. Death Eaters, Hogwarts etc. So, if you're into being all dark and evil, you can find most of the ones you'll like in one place! Keep in mind, there may be more than one listing for a specific theme. (i.e. not all Order members are grouped together).

Hope you enjoy having a look around. I'm working on more updates so everyone who can't come and visit our real-life shop, can still have a great shopping experience with TONS of great choices. Bear with me, it's only little old me and my silly cat Negs doing it all. :] Hugs Kim xo

Grand Opening! 10th OCTOBER 2014tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5538f0657883301a73e157256970d2014-09-13T22:42:26+01:002014-09-29T23:39:44+01:00(Click image to make bigger.) Hey everyone, YOU'RE INVITED! The bricks and mortar shop that I've been working on for the past year is opening! Hurrah! Hooray! Woop! Yippee! Come and check out the shop and be some of the...Kim Smith

(Click image to make bigger.)Hey everyone, YOU'RE INVITED!The bricks and mortar shop that I've been working on for the past year is opening! Hurrah! Hooray! Woop! Yippee! Come and check out the shop and be some of the first people to see all the things we've got in store (literally!).

10th of October (Friday) from 11am-5pm and then every Fri, Sat and Sun after that.

It would be super awesome for you to come down and check it out, there will (of course) be wool to squish and a place to sit and knit.

Dear Friends, Family and Press: We will be having a Private View (with low-key ribbon cutting), if you'd like to be invited, please e-mail me (Don't be shy). kim(at)artequalshappy.co.uk

Playing the Uke to a baby cousin. :: Videos & Musictag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5538f0657883301b7c6d751af970b2014-09-02T13:12:27+01:002014-09-02T13:12:27+01:00A new video is up on my youtube channel (which is kimsmithhappy). It would be awesome if you could like/comment and subscribe as it all helps! Since going to Summer In The City 2014 as a stallholder, I've been super...Kim Smith

A new video is up on my youtube channel (which is kimsmithhappy). It would be awesome if you could like/comment and subscribe as it all helps!

Since going to Summer In The City 2014 as a stallholder, I've been super dooper inspired to make more videos. It can be such a brilliant community, and a great way to share content. I did take video/vlog about the entire convention, which I'm slowing uploading as I get round to editing (take a peek at the first day here), but in the meantime...Here's a cute video of my cousin Will and his nearly-1-year-old son Sam listening to me playing some Uke. Will is a pretty awesome graphic designer and I'm sure you'll be hearing more about him as we team up on fun projects (we live close now!). P.S. Do you notice that smashingly orange jumper, the little babe is wearing? I made it! hehe. You might recognise it, actually, from instagram.

kimxo

p.s. LOOK at that cute face!

Southdown Pencil Roving. :: Wool on The Wheel. tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5538f0657883301a3fd194c4d970b2014-06-11T10:00:00+01:002014-06-11T10:00:00+01:00Something new and fun I've been playing with is spinning up singles. They are harder than they look, and take a lot of getting used to, but very satisfying when you see the bobbin filling up so fast! I finally...Kim Smith

Something new and fun I've been playing with is spinning up singles. They are harder than they look, and take a lot of getting used to, but very satisfying when you see the bobbin filling up so fast! I finally felt like I had the technique down enough to try some thicker singles and got out my delicious 100% British Southdown. I ordered a bump of this for the shop, knowing that I'd find something great to do with it. Originally I thought I was just going to make similar yarns to my BFL collection, but with a different fibre. Nope. Sometimes things change for the better.

Southdown is a little more robust and perfect for pencil rovings. My tension is still a little tight and I absolutely can't watch anything while I spin this (audiobooks and podcasts only) but there is so much joy in the fat fluffy twists and filling up 4 bobbins in a few hours (and knowing I don't have to ply them!) that makes Pencil Roving a new favourite of mine. Just take a look at this big stack of full skeins that I produced in under a week:Don't you just want to cuddle it?! These are going to look so great dyed, I can already tell. Thinking I'll have to sell these in 100g skeins because they are so thick and juicy. Yum yum yum. Fibre Diet.

Mini Skeins. :: Shop Update!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5538f0657883301a3fd1af76f970b2014-06-10T01:51:03+01:002014-06-10T01:51:03+01:00The shop is loaded with sets of Mini Skeins now! There are 4 colourways to choose from. Most of these are one-time deals as they are all made with Recycled coned wool, so once they are gone- they are gone!!...Kim Smith

The shop is loaded with sets of Mini Skeins now! There are 4 colourways to choose from. Most of these are one-time deals as they are all made with Recycled coned wool, so once they are gone- they are gone!! Buy now!Okay, Okay. I went a little geeky when I was choosing colours... What can I say, I just see beautiful colour combinations in everything. Obviously, if you're a fan of what they are named after, awesome! But if you're not don't stress, they work for generic stuff too. i.e. the Iron Man colourway reminds me of changing leaves or Gryffindor, and the Hulk colourway reminds me of drives through the countryside in the summer. They'll make great stripes or gradient effects. Or just add them to your stash and pick them out for colourwork projects. :] 10g each and 5 colours in a set = 50g. Above is the Rainbow Bright colourway. I love the little pops of pink in the red and the texture of the blue yarn. Buy Rainbow Bright!Above we've got a Vampire inspired gradient. From fluffy black and white through to vibrant red, this would look awesome as a sock! Buy Fangtasia! Above is a spectrum of greens. I seem to have collected A LOT of green recycled yarns so it's really nice to find a use for it! Plus that dark green is SUPER soft. Like, I'm sure it's alpaca or something. Yummy. Buy Hulk! Above is a different angle so you can see how they sit together. I can just imagine this knitted into tiny leaves or accents on a sea of brown. I'm a big fan of that little flecks of red and grey together. Plus, we all know I love a good yellow. Buy Iron Man!

p.s. Wondering what the heck to do with your minis? There are a ton of great boards and projects out there on pinterest and ravelry, but I've put together my own board. Take a look.

Shortlisted for Mollie Makes Handmade Awards!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5538f0657883301a73dd4022b970d2014-06-09T10:00:00+01:002014-06-09T10:00:00+01:00OhMyGoodness, How exciting is this? I've been shortlisted (along with 4 other super talented people) for the category of 'Creative Idea'. We all go to London on the 11th for the judging. Wish me luck!! Check out more about the...Kim Smith

OhMyGoodness, How exciting is this? I've been shortlisted (along with 4 other super talented people) for the category of 'Creative Idea'. We all go to London on the 11th for the judging. Wish me luck!!Check out more about the Handmade Awards or view the other catagories and their shortlisters (some really awesome people!). #handmadeawards to tweet or instagram about it! :] It's an honour to be picked!

Pink Wedges and Pink Lipstick. :: Style.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5538f0657883301a511c18783970c2014-06-06T10:00:00+01:002014-06-06T10:00:00+01:00Hi everyone. :] I've noticed that I really like 'getting dressed' to 'go to work'. What I mean is, when I come down stairs and open the door that leads from my house to the shop, I like to be...Kim Smith

Hi everyone. :] I've noticed that I really like 'getting dressed' to 'go to work'. What I mean is, when I come down stairs and open the door that leads from my house to the shop, I like to be dressed as if I was going to work in an office or studio where other people would be. Even if I'm just working in the shop all by myself all day, just doing accounts or editing photos. Somehow wearing real shoes and feeling 'photo ready' makes me motivated to get stuff done.Now, I definately don't do this everyday. In fact, due to my CFS, I often have to stay in comfy clothes all day. And some days I don't even make it downstairs except to feed the cat. I'm digressing... Basically these shoes make me feel like a bad ass business lady. And pink lipstick makes me feel grownup. Do you have a piece of clothing or a hairstyle or a type of beauty product that makes you feel super confident and like you want to make stuff happen?!

Everything is second hand except for my socks and leggings (ALL my leggings seem to have either paint on them or holes in them. Artist life!). Shirt is a hand me down from Dad. Skirt from Loot in Bristol, the Vest is handwoven but I found it in a vintage store (I think Repsycho in Bristol) and my shoes are actually from a friend's closet when they were having a clearout.

Can we just talk about height for a minute? I'm super tall. Like, nearly 6ft. And I'm not exactly a tiny person (or model-like). So I've always shyed away from heels of any kind. But in the last year or so I've been like 'Screw it!'... If I want to wear heels and they make me feel amazing, then I'm going to do it! So, I'm sorry friends if I stand next to you and seem like a giant while I wear my comfy comfy bright pink wedges. hehe. :]Love Kimxo